


Fresh Air

by ForensicSpider98



Series: Love After the Fact [11]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Cultural Differences, All this stress is bad for the baby, Altean Adam (Voltron), Altean Prince Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Aromantic Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Balmeran Hunk (Voltron), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Galra Shiro (Voltron), Galran Prince Keith (Voltron), Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Moral Dilemmas, Multi, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Olkari Pidge | Katie Holt, Post-War, it's keith. keith is the baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:27:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22996186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForensicSpider98/pseuds/ForensicSpider98
Summary: THIS JUST IN: Galra have toe beans. I don't make the rules.
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Alfor/Coran (Voltron), Allura/Lotor/Romelle (Voltron), Haggar/Zarkon (Voltron), Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Love After the Fact [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1635043
Comments: 14
Kudos: 257





	Fresh Air

**Author's Note:**

> A little something to tide you over while I'm hella busy <3<3<3

Keith's begrudging to admit it, but life at the Castle of Lions really isn't that bad. It's more dull than anything else. A bit lonely, too. Lance is constantly busy trying to clean up the mess he's caused by neglecting his work the past few decaphoebs, and Pidge is busy spying on people and updating security so Keith can access places like the dining room without help. Keith lacks the experience and skills to really assist with much, though Adam, Lance, and the kings make an effort to teach him. He wishes he had more to offer, wishes he had something to do.

Against the wishes of his spouse and Adam, Keith sets to exploring the castle alone. He's discovered Pidge's lab, where he's taken to watching them work from a corner of their workshop. The Olkari doesn't speak much while working, but Keith doesn't mind, happy to simply enjoy their proximity. He's also discovered the training deck, where he strips down to just his leggings and fights bot and trains. But more than anything, he finds himself in the gardens, following the walls, reaching the gate going first left, then right. The guards won't let him leave. They tell him to "kindly return to the castle, where you are safe." 

Where everyone else is safe from him.

He finds himself exploring the grounds in more detail. Altean plants are quite different from those on Daibazaal. They come in a wider variety of colors. They also tend to not have thorns, and lack carnivorous tendencies. It's quite fascinating. He’s in a new corner, listening to some flowers hum every time the wind blows. A tiny, furred creature with many legs crawls out of one flower’s throat, chittering angrily at him for getting too close. Keith leans forward, ears perked, twitching with curiosity as he holds out a leaf for the creature. It sniffs his fingers cautiously, takes the leaf, scurries back into the flower's deep throat. A moment later, the creature returns, six little babies on its back, chirping curiously. Keith smiles. So many different things on Altea make pretty sounds. It makes it harder to tell what might kill him.

He tickles the mother creature under its chin. It's friendly, seemingly harmless. That means nothing, of course, but as the creature explores the naked pads of his hands, Keith thinks he might have befriended it. After a few minutes, the mother scurries off, likely to find more food for her young. A good mother.

A gust of wind blows back a curtain of pink vines, and an irregularity in the wall catches his eye: a gap in the white stone. Without a second thought, Keith slips through, and _breathes_. His lungs fill with air from Outside The Wall. Outside the castle. Turning to his right, he sees the white city that sprawls in front of the palace. To his left, a vast rolling landscape, purple mountains in the distance. In front of him is a forest of trees. Keith’s ears twitch, fluttering with stimulation, with sounds not distorted by walls. The trunks are all green and purple, the leaves all blue and red, singing in the breeze. 

Keith slips off his shoes and stiff outer vest, discarding the long, shimmering red cloak, and stripping down to the close-fitting tunic and leggings. He feels better this way, more comfortable, more capable of moving. Or fighting. 

He keeps his knife strapped to his belt, sheathed at his back, hidden by an extra layer of opaque fabric hanging needlessly from his shoulders. He and the seamsmaster had managed, with Lance mediating, to come to an understanding. They were currently experimenting with materials and blends to find something more suitable to his lifestyle.

With his shoes off, Keith’s able to feel the subtle texture differences between the red, green, and purple mosses covering the forest floor. The smooth, almost glossy bark of the trees as he scales their trunks and leaps between the branches. The ones with the long strings of blue leaves chime in the breeze, a song that carries over hilltops and through valleys. 

Keith likes this part, climbing to the top of one of the tall, straight, purple-barked trees. The purple bark is rougher than the green. The red leaves don’t chime, but they are soft, delicate. Gentle, if that makes sense. The bare pads of Keith’s fingers and toes enjoy sensations that aren’t the coarse stone, sand, and grit that covers much of the Daibazaani landscape.

At the top of the tree, Keith breaks the canopy, his tail swaying to keep him balanced. He finds an avian landscape. A forest of purple and blue leaves with green moss fields spotted with magenta flowers. The landscape here is different, and beautiful, but not _breathtaking_.

Instead, it’s breath _giving_. It’s peaceful. A breeze ruffles his fur, blowing through the leaves, the spiced smells of blooming and growing things. Keith wonders if it might smell ‘sweet.’ He’ll have to ask Adam. Or maybe Lance, if the Crown Prince isn’t too busy.

A twinge of guilt hits Keith’s stomach. He’s skipped court again, leaving his spouse alone to deal with the courtiers’ nonsense and the commonwealth’s struggles.

Keith’s lips curl. The courtiers. He hates them. They consider minor inconveniences worthy of Lance’s time. The Kings are trying to piece together the fragments of two kingdoms while stitching together a frayed alliance and meanwhile Lance is handling such things as slow traffic and too much sun coming in through this one particular public window.

Lance says it’s a necessary evil. He will handle the daily absurdities while his fathers handle the important things. He’s happy to do it, he says. And he probably is. But Keith suspects Lance would be happier to feel useful, as opposed to just feeling used.

Keith knows the feeling. He's a child bride, after all. A commodity bought, sold, and paid for. His biggest responsibility is to serve as a breeder for Lance. Lance's displeasure in Keith's assigned role is somewhat gratifying. In fact, Lance has advocated for his involvement and inclusion more than anyone. He makes Keith feel like he has potential, and like he has something to prove. He wants to do well, wants to learn how to be a leader.

Beneath the expanse of treetops and blue sky, Keith recognizes that if he he wants to fill the shoes he's been made to wear, he has to take initiative. He can't let Lance carry him through everything.

Finding his courage, Keith climbs down from the tree, redresses, and wanders back through the forest, into the garden, through one of the castle’s back doors, and into the throne room. Lance is still sitting there, even after the half-varga it took Keith to get there. He’s been here for hours.

True to form, Lance hears him come in even as Adam announces his arrival. Lance beams, holding out a hand for Keith to take. Keith hides behind his hair as he joins his spouse, lacing their fingers together. He manages a tiny smile, keeping his head low. Adam has coached him on acting shy and demure. It makes him endearing, non-threatening. A role for him to play. “Apologies for my tardiness, my love. I was exploring the grounds and quite lost track of time.”

“That’s fine, beloved.” Lance is still smiling as he kisses the back of Keith’s hand. “I’m delighted to have you at all. Please, join us. We were just discussing the color of the glass windows in the grocer at the corner of Fligelt and Herborda.”

Keith sighs. He should have known.

**Author's Note:**

> Next time on Love After the Fact: Keith writes a letter to his family back home on Daibazaal.


End file.
